Feel the Silence
by ExcellentDriver
Summary: How will Booth and Brennan handle the "moving on" part? Because it clearly isn't as easy it as it sounds. Post 5x17
1. Move On

**I know I shouldn't be doing this, since I'm already writing another story and I _know_ I'll get crazy while writing two. But after watching the promo today I just **_**had**_** to write something about it. So… here it is.**

**For those who doesn't/didn't read my other story, English is not my first language, so, if you catch any mistake or typo (believe me, you will, because I usually write late at night and post the chapter right away, always missing some mistakes), please let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.**

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It felt like the sound of the Royal Diner had been sucked from the place. All Brennan could hear was a murmur at the background and the sound of their cutlery hitting the plates. No one would talk on their table. No one would stare at each other. Their lunches had been like that for two weeks already, since Booth decided to open that door that she wasn't able to walk in. She thought it would be possible to keep things exactly like they were before, but obviously it didn't happen. It wasn't working and she feared that it would never do. Every day Booth seemed more distant and the more she tried to reach him and bring him back to what he was, the more distant he would become.

It really hit her the week before, when they went to her High School Reunion undercover as a married couple. They've already pretended to be married tons of times before while working in other cases, but that time was different. That time she knew they just had to pretend because _she_ didn't want that to be real.

She didn't mind pretending to be married. _At all_. She could see that all the women in that party wished they could be her. Not because she was now a rich and successful anthropologist and a renowned best-selling author, but because she was married to that hot and cute guy. And while they were pretending, she let herself go in the game. Except Booth didn't. He would do just what he _had_ to do. Just what was necessary to solve the case. He didn't want to dance with her. He didn't want to hold her close. Yes, he gave in in the end and she let herself get lost in that little moment of joy. He let himself go too and she knew he was enjoying the dance. During that time, they didn't pretend. They just held each other and forgot that things were far from perfect between them. _Just for that moment_.

But now they were back to "awkward" again. And she hated it.

"Your pie looks tasty." She tried to start a conversation. The silence was killing her.

"I thought you hated pie, Bones." He had a little chuckle.

At least she could still make him smile.

"I do, but for a pie, it looks good." Brennan tried.

"It looks exactly the same as it had been looking for the past five years." He said and kept eating the pie.

He didn't want to talk to her, unless it was work related, she realized.

The silence dominated their table again.

_She sucked at small talk._

The noise of the cutlery was starting to annoy her. She _had_ to say something.

"Andrew asked me to go out with him tomorrow." She decided to tell him.

Booth instantly looked up at her and stopped chewing.

Yeah. _At least she caught his attention._

When he realized he just reacted in a way he shouldn't, he pretended he didn't care.

"He did?" Was all he said, while playing with the rest of the pie in his plate. He wouldn't ask if she accepted. _He wouldn't_. Suddenly, he wasn't in the mood for pie anymore.

"Yes." She confirmed. "When he invited me to the play, I thought it was code for sex."

Booth swallowed, even though there was no pie left on his mouth.

"Ow." The sound escaped from his mouth. He tried to recover as quickly as he could. "Are you going with him?"

_Damn._ It wasn't what he wanted to ask. He didn't care about who she dated. Or what she did with the people she dated.

But then… why did he want to punch a wall just thinking about her and bubble head Hacker doing something close to touching?

"I'm still thinking about it." She told the truth and moved her spoon inside her mug. The coffee was already cold, but she had to touch something. "I can't see why a man would take a woman to watch _The Lion King_, the musical, just because he likes seeing human beings licking themselves pretending to be lions while having a stupid hat in their heads, supposed to be the animal's face."

"I hate musicals… all that singing and jumping around is…meh" Booth made a face. "But I took Parker to watch it last year and he enjoyed it. I took earplugs, so, I was fine."

"Exactly. Men usually are not fond of plays with people singing and having dancing choreographies, that's why I believe Andrew just wants to take me there to have sexual intercourse after the show is over."

All that pie was starting to make Booth feel sick of his stomach.

"I never knew you liked musicals." He commented a bit bitterly.

"I appreciate how some people are able to sing, act and dance at the same time. It takes a lot of talent. It's not an easy task." She took a sip of her coffee. _Ew._

Brennan pushed the mug away from her, so there wouldn't be any chance of her distractedly take another sip of that thing supposed to be coffee but that tasted like dirty water.

Brennan noticed Booth wasn't enjoying that talk very much.

"Is it okay for us to talk like this?" She asked.

"Yeah. We are partners." Booth shrugged. "Partners share stuff, don't they?"

"Yeah, but you always get all uncomfortable every time we talk something sex related and after that day…" She didn't have to tell directly _which_ day she was talking about. She knew he would know.

"It's okay, Bones, really." Booth said relaxed. "If you want to go with Mr. Basket Ball Head to watch happy people dancing and singing, you should."

"Basket Ball Head? Why are you calling Andrew "Mr. Basket Ball head"?" Brennan asked confused.

"Ah, come on, Bones, do I really need to explain? Only a blind person wouldn't realize his head isn't exactly an average head's size…" He started to chuckle but tried to hide the laugh when he got a glance from Brennan. "Not that it is a problem, of course."

"Andrew is a tall man, I think his head is just the right size for his body." She defended her possibly-date.

"Well, you're the one dating him." He shrugged. "Anyway, I also have a date tomorrow."

It was her turn to feel the heart flipping inside her chest.

"You have a date tomorrow?" She gasped.

"Yea-ha." He nodded and shoved a fork full of pie inside his mouth, starting to chew happily this time. _Take that now._

"With who?" Brennan couldn't help asking. Yes, he said he was going to move on, but she didn't think it would happen that fast. And yes, he had all the rights to date whoever he wanted. But that didn't mean she had to _like_ it.

"Catherine Bryar." He was enjoying that. It was so good to be in the other side. If she could date his boss' boss' boss and share how those dates were with him, why couldn't he do the same?

"_Dr. Bryar_?" Brennan said surprised. "The marine biologist? You can't date her!"

"_Why_?" He dared.

"Because…" _Think, Temperance, think!_ "She's a suspect. You can't go out on dates with suspects."

"Her alibi was proven. It wasn't her."

"But we also thought that guy I went out wasn't a suspect anymore and he ended up being the murderer." Brennan felt nauseated remembering that he touched her lips with his murderer-mouth. "You shouldn't risk, Booth."

"Catherine is not a murderer, Bones." Booth guaranteed.

"How can you possibly know?" She asked.

"Bones, Bones… after all this time working with me, you still don't know my guts' magic talents?" Booth teased her.

"But you said your instincts weren't 100% accurate after your brain surgery." _Ouch_. She regretted saying it right after it came out of her mouth. She remembered how terrified Booth was when he thought he wasn't as good in reading people as he was before the surgery. "Sorry, Booth, I shouldn't have said it."

"Why are you so against the fact that I'm going out on a date?" He asked her. "I told you I had to move on, and you agreed with it."

"Wha- I'm not _against_ it!" She cried. "I just don't want you to go out with someone who can possibly be a murderer. I know how terrible it is to find out about it after. I'm just giving you an advice, as a good friend should do."

"Catherine is not the murderer, Bones." Booth repeated. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Also, she has those big, _creepy, piercing blue eye_s." Brennan heard herself saying. "And that hair… why does she keep it so long? It's probably not very practical to maintain, given the fact she spends hours in the water. Not a clever choice."

"You also have big piercing blue eyes." He was _really _enjoying that.

"Are you saying that my eyes are creepy?" She asked in disbelief.

"No- No, Bones." He chuckled and looked at her face. She looked hurt by that commentary. "Your eyes are beautiful."

She stared back at him and the world stopped for a minute. Could you kiss with your eyes? Because this definitely felt like it.

The moment was broken when Brennan's cell phone started to ring.

"Brennan." She answered. After a little chat, she hung up. "It was Hodgins." She informed Booth. " He has news on the case. I've got to go back to the lab. Can you drop me off there?"

"Sure."

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She worked on the case for the rest of the day. It was almost 10pm when she remembered the conversation she had earlier with Booth on the diner. After thinking for a moment, she took her cell phone and dialed a number who'd been calling her all day.

"Andrew?" She was surprised when answered on the first ring. "Hi, this is Temperance. I just wanted to say I would love to go to the play with you tomorrow."

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**A/N: So, what do you think? Should I continue? Review PLEASE!**


	2. Double Date

**Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing. =D**

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The show was good. It really was. The storyline was nice, _The Lion King_ was a classic. The actors were doing a great job and they had amazing vocals. But Temperance Brennan was bored. She was counting the minutes for the show to be over so she could get out of there and take a breath of air.

Andrew Hacker didn't say a word since the play started. He was staring amazed at the dance happening on the stage. _Is he gay?, _she wondered_. _Oh, no, she shouldn't think that. It was prejudice to conclude such a thing based only on his appreciation of a musical show. But that it was uncommon, that it was.

She missed Booth. She bet it would be much less boring if Booth was the one with her there. He would be probably making silly jokes about what was happening on stage, or saying how feminine the guy playing Simba was.

"Don't you think those hats imitating a lion's head are funny?" She tried to be humorous and start a conversation. It's been two hours already.

"Shhh, Tempe, here comes the best part." Andrew answered, without even looking at her.

Temperance sighed. What a long night. And while she was there, having this fail date with Hacker, Booth was probably having a hot make out session with that annoying marine biologist.

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The movie was good. It really was. They went to watch a session of _Yes, Man! _in a small theater near his house. The movie was funny, but Seeley Booth was bored. He was counting the minutes to the movie to be over so he could be out of there.

Catherine Bryar seemed to be enjoying the movie. She was laughing the whole time. But her laugh was starting to annoy him. It wasn't a cute and sweet laugh as Bones' was. It was loud and squeaky. That movie was a bad choice. _Terrible choice_. He also couldn't help thinking how the lead girl resembled Bones. Same laugh, same eyes… they even sounded the same.

_Damn you, Temperance Brennan._ He hated her for being stuck on his head twenty-four hours a day. He was there, with a hot woman (even though she had that terrible laugh) and he still couldn't stop thinking how much better it would be if Bones was the one sitting next to him. He missed her.

He bet she would make those dorky comments or complain about the nonsense things that happen in the movie. _"Red Bull is supposed to make you hyper, not stupid." _He could hear her saying. And then he would say it was just to make the movie funny and movies didn't have to be 100% accurate. She would give him that "_I still think it's nonsense_" glare and turn her head to keep watching the movie. He would peek at her with the side of his eyes and would see a tiny grin on her lips. He would look back at the movie and mirror that grin.

He had to take her out of his head. He had to. For his own sake, he _had_ to move on.

The credits finally started and Booth thanked God mentally. _About damn time._

"What do you think about dinner?" He suggested. _You have to move on, buddy_. Dinner was a great opportunity to get to know the other person. She probably had a lot of qualities to cover the annoying laugh. Also, he knew she was smart and obviously gorgeous.

"Sounds amazing." Catherine agreed. "Where are you taking me?"

"I know this great place. It's not very far from here." He said.

What was the problem about taking her to the Founding Fathers? It wasn't like it was his and Bones' place... they_ did _go there all the time together, but that didn't make it their place, right? It would be good to change that thought about the place, anyway. Also, that restaurant had really great food.

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"This restaurant is really good. I remember you told me you really liked it last time we came here." Andrew said stepping into the Founding Father. He asked Brennan to have dinner after the show was finally over. She accepted. It wasn't like her night could get worse.

She wasn't very comfortable about being there with Andrew on a date. Especially not after Booth revealed his wish of taking their relationship to another level. The Founding Fathers was their place, after all. That's where they used to go when they wanted to celebrate after solving a difficult case.

"Yeah, it's very nice." She answered simply.

"Good Night." A waitress came to talk to them. "Table for two?"

At that exactly moment, the door of the restaurant opened again and another couple entered the place.

Temperance felt her heart racing inside her chest. It was Booth. _Booth and that woman_. They were walking very closely and she was laughing at something he said. Brennan clenched her jaw.

"Oh, look who's there! Agent Booth and Dr. Bryar!" Hacker commented joyful. "Seems like they had the same idea to come here tonight."

She couldn't hide her dislike to the fact that Booth brought the Fish girl to _their_ restaurant.

"Bones!" He called her. "Hey!" He took Catherine's hand and started walking toward the other couple. Brennan wanted to die. He was holding her hand! "Assistant-Director Hacker." Booth greeted his boss' boss' boss. "I think you already met Dr. Bryar."

"Hi, Agent Booth, yeah, I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Bryar yesterday. How are you?" He asked the woman.

"I'm fine, thank you. We just finished watching this amazing movie." Catherine shared.

"Nice, Temperance and I were at _The Lion King_ presentation." He smiled at Brennan. "Very beautiful, wasn't it?"

"Yes, very interesting spectacle." Brennan agreed.

The waitress saw the two couples chatting and said: "I see you know each other. We are very crowded tonight, you see… we only have this one table. Do you mind sharing it?"

"It's fine for me." Booth quickly said.

"I don't see any problem." Andrew agrees. "What do you think, Temperance?"

"Sure, why not?" She opened a fake smile.

_Forget about the whole 'the night couldn't get any worse'. _

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"I was telling Seeley how much I want to come back to South Africa." Catherine was saying. She was sitting next to Booth and in front of Brennan in the table. The woman wouldn't stop babbling and it was starting to irritate Brennan.

"Booth doesn't like being called Seeley." Brennan said taking a sip of her wine. Maybe the night wouldn't be that bad if she got drunk.

"It's my name, Bones." Booth said. He didn't want Catherine to feel uncomfortable. "It's not a problem."

"But you don't like it." Brennan continued. "You told me countless times that you hate your name and that it brings you bad memories of your childhood, because the kids gave you a hard time at school joking about the fact it has the same pronounce as the word 'silly'. You even said they called you the 'silly boy'."

_Thanks for sharing another thing you were the only one supposed to know, Bones._

"Oh, sorry." Catherine said uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to bring you the bad memories."

She covered Booth's hand with hers and Brennan felt the blood running up to her face.

"It's really okay." Booth said and gave Brennan a _'shut up'_ glare, which she chose to ignore and took another sip of her wine. Obviously it was the wine that was making her face turn red.

"Would you like to go to South Africa someday, Booth?" The marine biologist asked. "It's one of the best places to do scuba diving in the world."

Brennan almost choked with her wine. _What the hell?_ The woman was suggesting a trip together on their first date?

"Once, when I was there for a dig, a woman who was working with us went to do scuba diving with her husband and never came back. Her husband kept looking for her for the next forty days, but they never found her. They concluded she was eaten by a shark." Brennan shared the story.

"Whoa, Bones, great story to bring up when we are about to eat." Booth commented.

"It's true." She took a slice of bread out of the appetizer basket. "I'm just warning you that it's not very safe."

"Temperance has traveled around the world. Do you know that she goes out to work on digs all over the globe on her vacation?" Hacker tried to enter the conversation. "She's probably the only person in the world who works on her vacation."

"I love my job, I really don't mind." She said. "I appreciate learning more every time I start a new dig."

"Had you already decided what will want for dinner?" The waitress asked.

She gave them the menu some minutes ago and figured out they would have decided by now.

"This broiled fish with roast potatoes seems appetizing." Temperance said looking at the menu.

"It really does." Hacker agreed.

_Kiss-ass_, Booth thought.

"I think I'll go with the ribs." Catherine checked the menu. "What do you think, Booth?"

All the fish and ribs… it was making him feel nauseated.

"I'll just want a Caesar salad, please."

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**A/N: Review if you want me to continue! **


	3. Girl Talk

**Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts!**

**I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. This next chapter isn't exactly a funny one, but I hope you'll like it.**

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She arrived earlier than usual at the lab that morning. After failing miserably trying to sleep that night, Temperance Brennan gave in fighting against her insomnia and went to the Jeffersonian. If there was something in this world that would fulfill her mind and take those annoying thoughts away from her head, it was her work.

"Oh, no. I can't believe it. When I arrive earlier than my shift start, trying to look like a good and focused employee, someone is already here." Angela said entering the platform. "Is my watch broken? I'm late?" She asked worried.

She looked around. There was no one else in the lab besides her and Brennan, who was looking carefully at some old remains she probably got from the limbo, since they closed the shark case the previous day.

"No, I believe it's not even 7 yet." Brennan answered without taking her eyes of the remains.

"And may I ask what are you doing here this early?" Angela stood by her side. "I thought you had a date with Hacker yesterday."

"I did." Brennan confirmed and made some notes about the bones she was analyzing.

"And you are here? At the lab? Working at 7 am?" Angela raised one eyebrow. "It must have been quite the date…"

"It was fine." She said.

"_Fine_?" Angela chuckled. "God, than it was worse than I thought."

"'Fine' is a positive word, Angela." Brennan looked at her. "I don't understand how you can make the conclusion that it was bad out of that."

"No, sweetie, it's not a positive word when it comes to a definition of a date. '_Good_' means it was an okay date and you could possibly go out with him again. '_Great_' means it was a very nice date and you're willing to go out with him again. '_Awesome_' means it was incredible and you two ended up in bed. But '_fine_'? '_Fine_' means it was boring and you don't look forward to go out with the guy again." Angela explained. "It's scientifically proved, believe me."

"It is not scientifically proved." Brennan squinted.

"But it's Angela proved, which is much better." Angela grinned. "And you know that I am right."

"I don't know what happened, Ange." Brennan decided to go with the truth. She was right anyway. She didn't understand how Angela could make definitions of dates just from one word, but at least in her case, she couldn't be more spotted on. Her date with Hacker _was _boring. Well, at least it was boring till they met Booth and the Fish Lady at the restaurant, then it turned into a disaster. "I've gone out with Hacker before and it had been really good. We laughed at each other, I had a great time. He was an interesting and humorous man."

"Bren, it's 7 am and you are here, working on remains no one cares to find out the identity, since it's probably some millenniums-years-old-"

"It's 185 years old, Angela." Brennan corrected her.

"Just what I said. Whatever happened last night, it was something more than just a 'boring' date. I know you, sweetie. You focus on your work whenever you want to forget something that's bothering you." Angela pursed her lips. "Also, you have big shadows under your eyes and you look very pale."

_Thank you, Ange, I'm feeling much better now._ Especially thinking that Fish Lady was probably looking amazing this morning… did she sleep with Booth? No… she wouldn't sleep with him, right? What kind of woman would have sex in the first date? Yes… she was inviting him to go on a trip during the dinner last night but… _Come on, Temperance, stop thinking about it. Just STOP._

She sighed and looked at Angela. Sometimes Brennan wished her friend couldn't read her that well. But if she couldn't open up with her best friend, who could she possibly talk to? Obviously not Booth, since he was the main reason of her insomnia and terrible morning look.

"We watched the play and then we went to the Founding Fathers." She told Angela.

"Sounds like an ordinary date so far."

"And seems like Booth and Dr. Bryar had the same idea." Brennan looked back at the remains, trying to avoid her friend's eyes.

"Oh." Angela opened a tiny smile. "I get it. You're jealous."

"What?" Brennan raised her head. "I'm not jealous." _It's just that that the thought of Booth and Dr. Bryar doing anything romantic related makes my body burn, and not in a good way. Just that._

"You totally are." Angela let out a laugh. "Booth didn't have a date in so long, and now that he finally had one, with a gorgeous and intelligent woman, you're feeling betrayed."

"You sound like Sweets." She looked at her. "And it's not a compliment."

Angela stared at her friend. Something was not right there and Brennan wouldn't tell her what.

"Did something happen between you and Booth lately?" She asked. There had to be something. The two of them had been acting weird in the latest weeks and Booth almost didn't come to the lab anymore. Plus, Booth got himself a date right when his and Brennan's relationship was awkward.

"Why would you think something happened between us?" Brennan asked. She hoped her voice didn't sound as shaken to Angela as it did to her.

"Because you're working on old remains at 7 am? Because he almost never comes here anymore? Because the color goes out of your face every time his name is mentioned? Because he finally got himself a date after almost three years?" She started to list.

"He wanted to give us a try." Her voice was almost inaudible, but it was out there. She felt a bit lighter after the words came out of her chest.

"You mean… the two of you… as a couple?" Angela asked carefully, just to make sure she heard the words right. After five years, it was really about time. But… seeing on how the two of them was acting now, seemed like the story didn't end up the way she believed it would end. Actually, seemed like exactly the opposite happened.

Brennan nodded.

"And…" She wanted to know.

"I said it couldn't happen." Brennan bit her lower lip. She wouldn't let those tears run out of her eyes again.

"Why, Bren?" Angela touched her arms sympathetically.

"It wouldn't work, Ange." She took a long breathe. "We work together and we are good the way we are… _or were_." She added the last words sadly. "Sweets said in his book that I believe that every meaningful relationship is doomed, and I think he's right. I don't want to end up hating Booth in a couple of years or one of us being disappointed with each other. We are… were… perfect the way we were."

"It's not like he's gonna turn into Angelus, sweetie." Angela pursed her lips. It hurt her seeing her friend like that. She knew it probably hadn't been easy for her. Temperance Brennan was a genius, but dealing with feeling was definitely not her best area.

"I don't know what that means." Brennan looked at her friend confused.

"The good guy turning into the bad guy when he finally gets the girl he loves." Angela explained. "You two have been a couple for five years already, you just don't have the good part of it."

"He never said he loved me, Angela." She felt her heart twisting inside her chest. He said he loved her once, she remembered, but he said it was in a "_professional, atta girl way_". He didn't said he loved her the way a man loves a woman.

"It's in his eyes, Brennan." Angela turned Brennan so she could look into her eyes. "And don't you try to tell me you don't know that."

She knew that. She knew that and that was why she told him he was the one who needed protection. She knew she would end up hurting him and she was completely right.

"I can't love him the way he deserves, Angela." She looked down. "_I can't_. He's the guy with the heart; I'm the girl with the brain. He deserves someone that can love the same way he does and I'm not that person. "

_That is way more complicated than I thought._

For a moment, Angela didn't say anything. All she did was pull her friend in a hug. And for that moment, Temperance let herself go. She let the damn tear fall. She hugged her friend back.

"You're much better than you give yourself credit for, sweetie." Angela said wiping the tear from her friend's eyes. "You have a big and warm heart, Brennan. You just didn't realize it yet."

"It's done, anyway. He said he would move on and he's already doing it." Brennan tried to recover. She really didn't appreciate all that crying and emotional feelings. When she started letting her heart take over her brain like that, she had no idea, but she wasn't enjoying it. It _hurt_. "I should be happy for him, I don't know why I'm acting like this. It's ridiculous." She had a sad laugh. "I'll be fine, Ange, I promise. Now, let me work."

"You can't finish this conversation like this." Angela said surprised.

"Please, Ange?" She begged. She didn't want to keep talking about it. She wanted to forget Booth, she _needed_ to forget him, at least for the next few minutes.

Angela nodded understanding. "I'll make a sketch so we can see how this old guy probably had looked like."

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**A/N: Please, review! **


	4. Sulky Antrophologist

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Brennan thought that after solving the aquarium case the day before she would have a calm week working on some ancient remains at the Jeffersonian, but she was deadly wrong. Right after lunch time, she received a call from Booth saying he would pick her up at the lab so they could go to a crime scene. Apparently, a body was found at the trunk of a car in the other side of the city.

"Hey, Bones." He said cheerfully.

_Someone seems to be in such a great mood today._

"Hi." She greeted him back and sat quietly on the passenger seat. She was wearing her sunglasses, hoping the shadows under her eyes were being covered by the lens.

"You okay, Bones?" Booth realized she was quieter than usual.

"Yeah."

"You don't look very happy." He said turning on his vehicle and getting in the way.

"We are going to a crime scene, Booth. Someone is dead. I don't see why I should be joyful."

"And you are wearing sunglasses." He ignored her response. "It's cloudy."

_No, he wasn't only in a great mood, he was also very chatty. _

"Is there a rule about being prohibited to wear sunglasses when it's not sunny?"

"Well, they are called _sun_-glasses." He could see her rolling her eyes behind the dark lens. "Fine, you are mad. What's wrong?"

"I'm not mad."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You sound mad."

"You are starting to make me mad with all this '_you are mad_' conversation."

"Won't you tell me what's bothering you?" He insisted.

"There's nothing bothering me, Booth!" _Will you please just shut up and drive?_ "I'm just tired, that's all." She said a little annoyed. "I wasn't expecting to have a new case after just closing one yesterday."

He nodded accepting her answer and didn't say anything else for the next ten miles. He knew her partner and, after five years, he was aware that when Bones was in a bad mood, the best he could do was just stay quiet and wait for her to recover and be the one to start talking.

Brennan kept looking out of the window the whole way, thinking about the conversation she had with Angela that morning.

"How was your date with Dr. Bryar?" The words popped out of her mouth. She wasn't really willing to ask that but seemed like that question was surrounding her so much that day that she said it aloud without even realizing it.

The fact that she finally talked after more than twenty minutes in silence and that the first thing she said was a question about his date startled Booth. The thanked God there wasn't any car in front of him that moment, because that could have caused an accident.

"Good." He glimpsed at her and looked back at the road. "Very good."

_Angela didn't say anything about 'very good'_, Brennan recalled. It was probably between '_good_' and '_great_', she realized. So, was he seeing her again?

"Are you going out with her again?" _Damn, can't you just keep your mouth shut?_

"Yeah." She was surprised by his answer. She knew she shouldn't been surprised, Angela had told her about the descriptions of dating meaning, but it was still awkward for her to hear he was going out with Dr. Bryar again.

Booth wasn't really sure about asking Catherine to go on another date, but after they left the Founding Fathers, she asked him what he thought about going to a marine exposition that weekend. That was one hell of a modern woman, he thought at the time. She asked him out. Both times. Parker was staying with Rebecca that weekend and he actually had a nice time with Catherine the rest of the night, so, he accepted the invitation.

"Good." _You are such a liar, Temperance Brennan. _"I'm glad you had a good time."

"Thanks, I really did." He opened a crooked smile. _ I just wish you didn't keep popping up in my head every five seconds. _"We laughed." _Though, unfortunately she has a terrible laugh._

"Interesting. She didn't seem very humorous yesterday at the restaurant." _Okay, it's probably my lack of sleep that is making my tongue move by itself._

"You didn't think so?" He tried to hide his amusement. Was she jealous? She definitely sounded jealous.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "The whole tiny diamond earring thing, I couldn't see the fun in there. But maybe it was just me, you know I'm not very good with jokes." _Or maybe my definition of entertainment is not a beautiful woman clinging on my partner and asking him to travel to another continent with her._

"You and Hacker?" Booth decided that if she could ask him about his date, he also had the right to ask the same, though, he wasn't very sure if he would like her answer.

"What about me and Hacker?"

"Your date. How was it?"

"Great." She said, remembering Angela's words. She wouldn't admit it was boring. _No way_. Especially after the rubbed in her face he was going out with the Fish Lady again. She knew lying was only acceptable during Christmas time, but she didn't care. "He's a very funny man." _Though I had to force my laugh when I'm around him_.

Booth didn't say anything, just nodded. What could he possible say? That he was glad for her? _The hell he was!_ He wasn't glad that she was having a good time with the assistant-director of the FBI. Once Bones told him that even with the all intellectual and financial contradictions between them, she still felt really close to him. But what if she felt more comfortable with Hacker, who was wealthier and brainier than he was? He couldn't help wondering about that.

"Do you know anything about this case?" She decided it was better to change the subject after a moment of awkward silence. She hoped it was an easy case. All she wanted at that moment was to go back home and have a good night of sleep. Her head was killing her.

"No, I was just informed a completely disfigured body was found and they needed us there. You know, the usual."

Brennan pursed her lips and nodded her head understanding. She looked out of the window again. Seemed like they were never getting at the murder scene.

"There's Tylenol at the glove-compartment." Booth said after a moment.

"Why are you telling me that?" She frowned her eyebrows.

"The sunglasses, the silence, the way you lean on the seat and sighs, those shadows under your eyes that you're trying to cover." He smirked when he saw face blushing. "Seems like you can make good use of them."

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**A/N: Review, please!**


	5. Ex's Advice

**Hey guys! Thanks for everyone who left reviews, but I have to tell I won't keep this story going if I only get that few reviews per chapter. I mean, I know people are reading, I got over 35 story alerts just in the last chapter, and yeah, that makes me really glad, because it means you liked the story enough to want to know when another update is up, but what makes me keep writing are the reviews. So, please, review after you read, okay? **

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"Hi, Temperance." Andrew Hacker entered Brennan's office. She and Booth solved their latest case very quickly. The murderer wasn't the smartest person in the world and left tons of evidences in the crime scene. Hacker thought that going to the Jeffersonian to congratulate Temperance on her and Booth's success was a great excuse to see her.

"Andrew!" She said surprised. She was working on some paperwork. Having days without bizarre murders to solve wasn't a common thing in her life, so, she used those days to catch up with the late work. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I thought I should come here to congratulate you personally for the amazing job you've been doing with the FBI." Andrew said. "You've solved over one hundred cases apparently impossible to solve in the last five years and the last one was closed in an unbelievable short period of time."

"Thanks, Andrew, but I don't think any of those cases would had been closed if I hadn't have Booth as my partner." She defended her partner. "I just come up with the scientific part."

"Oh, yes, I know. I've already told Agent Booth that his work is doing marvelous things to my career, so, he must keep safe. I don't want anything happening with my best team." He winked.

Brennan didn't appreciate the way Andrew talked about Booth, like the only reason he wanted him safe was because it was useful to _his_ career.

"We know how to take care of ourselves." Brennan said simply.

"So, no horrible case this week?" Hacker tried to find a subject to talk.

"Those last days had been extremely unlikely. It's been almost two weeks since our last case."

"Does that mean you have more free time on your hands?" He asked.

"Even though I still have a lot of work to do at the Jeffersonian, yes, my routine is not as crazy as it is while we have a murderer to catch."

"May I ask you to have dinner with me next Friday?" He smirked.

Brennan felt an urge of nausea. He was flirting with her, he had been flirting with her for a long time by now, but she didn't mind about it. She didn't mind it until Booth said he wanted them to be together, an idea she rejected, making Booth end up getting a ridiculously beautiful scientist as a girlfriend, even though, not one bit as smart as she was.

Booth has been going out with her with three weeks already, and things seemed to just get more serious between them. Just last week, he arrived at the lab using a ludicrous tie with little crabs printed on it, _a gift from Cathy_, he said. _Cathy_. He was already calling her by her nickname! She felt knots on her stomach just bringing the image of the two of them together in her head.

She was jealous. She couldn't deny that to herself anymore. She didn't feel ready to be with him but she also couldn't stand seeing him with anyone else, which was completely selfish, she was aware of that, but she just couldn't make her brain win over her guts on that subject, which was driving her crazy and making her really cranky lately. Hence the reason she was so surprised to see Andrew in her office that morning. All the other scientists were aware of her bad mood lately and knew the best way of avoiding her snaps was staying away from her.

"Andrew…" She started. She had to end that already. Brennan wasn't herself around him, she realized she had to force to laugh when he made a joke and… well, he wasn't a tiny bit as attractive as Booth was. "You're a very nice guy. You're funny and you are charming but-"

"You're not going out with me." He completed and bit his lips. "I get it."

"I'm sorry." Brennan said honestly. "I just don't feel like getting in a relationship right now."

"Does Agent Booth have anything to do with that?" Hacker asked, even though he knew the answer already.

"Wha-? No. It has nothing to do with Booth." She lied. "It has to do with myself. I want to focus on my work and on my next novel. I don't have time to a romantic relationship at the moment."

"Tempe, it's clear as water… anyone can see how jealous you are since he started dating Dr. Bryar." Hacker decided to push her a little. He couldn't have her, but he genuinely liked her. He didn't like seeing her upset like that. She couldn't be his girlfriend, but he considered her a friend.

"I'm not jealous." _Except that I totally am. _Their dinners had reduced drastically since Booth got a girlfriend. If before they would go to the Royal Diner or the Founding Father at least five times a week, now if they shared a takeout one day of the week was already too much. "I'm glad Booth found a nice woman. I mean, it's been a long time since he got a girlfriend."

"You love him." Hacker smiled.

"N- Why are you saying that?"

"Because you do. Unfortunately, I have to say." He said. "Oh, I would die to have you looking at me the way you look at him."

Brennan blushed. Did she look at Booth differently than she looked at other people? Who was she fooling? Of course she did. She just never thought everyone could notice it.

"I'm not quite sure about my feelings, Andrew." She decided to go with the truth.

"Then you should realize them soon." He gave an advice. "Agent Booth seems to be getting along very well with Dr. Bryar. Yeah, I do believe your feelings for him are reciprocal, but a man can't wait forever. And I have to take the guy's side here and say that he has already waited for a very long time."

_Like she didn't know that yet._

"He deserves to be happy and loved the way he can love. I don't think I can give him that." She confessed.

"If you don't give it a chance, you'll never know, Tempe." He said. "And I never thought of you as a woman who would give up without fighting."

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Hacker's words haunted Brennan for the next couple of days. He was right. Giving up without fighting was something unlikely for her to do. All her life she had fought for what she wanted. She was completely excluded during her time at High School, but in any moment she let the bullying or the mean words people shot at her let her down. She focused on what she wanted and graduated as the best at her class. She was abandoned by her parents without any explanation, she went to countless foster families, and even though sometimes she thought about giving up, she didn't. She raised her head and did what she had to do. She became the best forensic anthropologist in the world and a very successful author.

Why was she letting her feeling towards a man take over her body and brain like that? Why was she being so weak? Temperance Brennan wasn't weak.

The answer was simple. She was so scared that giving them a chance, gamble on a relationship with him, she would ended up losing him. And she wouldn't bear losing him. Not when he became the most important person in her life. Not when he became her strength and also her biggest weakness.

But denying a relationship with him would still make her lose him, wouldn't it?

So, what was the point?

What should she do?

All that confusion was driving her crazy. That was she like math, and physics, and chemistry. That's why she became a scientist. In those subjects, things are the way they are. There's evidence, there's no confusion. Psychology, on the other hand, was all about confusion.

Her cell phone rang breaking her thoughts.

"Brennan."

"Hey, Bones. The hiatus is over." Booth said on the other side of the line. "We got a pretty nasty body, just the way you like it. Get ready, I'm picking you up in ten."

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	6. Hot Blooded

**Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You are all really nice. I wasn't really going to update so soon, but after so many of you asking for an update as soon as possible and my anxiety to this week's episode (it wouldn't be the same thing if I updated after the episode aired), I decided to write this one. Some people said they don't review because they are terrible at it. Guys, you don't need do write an essay, you can leave just a "good update", or "bad update" or something, just so I can have a feedback. **

**This chapter is very long (at least to my standards), probably the longest I've written and I really enjoyed writing it (I wish at least some part of it could actually happen on the show. I mean, at least the last part), so, I hope you feel the same way while reading. :)**

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The victim was a man, found completely dismembered inside a washing machine. It didn't take long for them to figure it out it was a rocker guy and who was the murderer. During the investigation, they got to meet Eric Dalton, who was first a suspect, and now that the case was closed, Booth decided to ask Brennan to celebrate in a different way.

"Guess what?" Booth asked her.

"I don't do guesses, Booth, you should be aware of that by now."

"Come on, Bones, it's just a little game… come on… guess what?" He tried again.

"I don't have time for silly games. But it seems to be something good, otherwise you wouldn't be so joyful about it."

"You're such a party-pooper." He made a face. "_We got VIP tickets for Eric Dalton's concert tonight_!" He said excitedly and took two tickets out of his pocked, waving them to Brennan, who was finishing the report on her computer.

"I thought you were going out with Dr. Bryar tonight." Brennan said without taking her eyes from the screen.

"Nah, you know we celebrate every time we solve a case. That's what we have done since we became partners. We close the case, we celebrate. I don't want to jinx it not celebrating this one. Tonight… the night is ours, baby!" Booth played an invisible guitar and stuck out his tongue, which resulted in Brennan raising an eyebrow unsure.

"There's a lot for paperwork, Booth…"

"Sh- Shh… no, no excuses, no excuses…" He was already behind her chair and pulling her out of it. "You are coming with me and there's nothing you can do about it. Here, take your coat."

"Booth, I didn't save the doc-" Brennan tried to reach for her computer, but Booth was already pushing her out of her office.

"You are a dorky, Bones, I know you have your computer programmed to save the documents every five seconds. It's safe." He winked.

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. He was right. Her computer was programmed to save the documents every five minutes, not that it would make much difference, since the screen was completely empty. The whole paperwork thing was an excuse. As much as she loved celebrating their success in their job with Booth, it had become such a hard thing, seeing him so happy lately, due to his romance with the marine biologist. She should be happy for him, and a part of her really was. But it was still difficult. And he didn't stop wearing that damn tie since the day she gave it to him. Even after Brennan told him it was a social contract, Booth kept wearing it very often, like he _enjoyed _that fact.

"If the reason you doesn't want to go out with me today is because you have a date with Hacker, tell him that I'm sorry, but I met you first and tonight you're _mine_." Booth said opening the car's door.

"That declaration that meeting me first gives you the right to have priority in my life is completely childish and makes no sense."Brennan said. "_And I'm not yours_." She moaned.

"I know you aren't, Bones." _Even though I wish with all my heart that you wer_e. "It was just a way to say that tonight we are going out together, okay? And there's no way of you saying no."

_Egocentric alpha-male._

"_Fine_." She sat on the passenger seat. She wouldn't tell him she hadn't a date with Hacker. Much less that she broke up with him a couple of days before. Well, if you can call what they were doing "dating", because they didn't even share a kiss.

Booth glimpsed at her and saw that she putted on her mad face, which was anything but completely adorable. He opened a smile.

"Now, stop with the cranky face and open a smile, okay? Because tonight… it's rock'n'roll!"

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The place was crowded. For a moment Brennan thought how they were able to squeeze all those people in that room. Worse, how there were people in this world who actually _paid_ to be squeezed like that. She wondered if there was enough oxygen for all those human beings. Lucky thing that she saw three ambulances parked outside. She wouldn't be surprised if there were some fainting.

But since they were on the VIP area, right in front of the stage, they were comfortable. There was even a bar just for the people invited by the star of the night.

"The show will only start in forty minutes, let's go grab a drink?" Booth asked.

"Sure." She agreed. A little bit of booze would probably fit that situation.

"What it's gonna be?" He asked after they sat in the two seats placed in front of the counter. Booth looked wickedly at one specifically bottle and then at Brennan: "_Tequila_?"

"_No_… no, Booth… no." She opened her eyes widely. "You remember how bad it is for our organism to digest it. Last time I thought my brain would never work the same way again. And I don't enjoy feeling like a person of average intelligence."

"That's a load of crap, Bones, come on, it's just a drink." He said and asked two shots of Jose Cuervo to the bartender.

"I'm so going to regret this tomorrow." Brennan said staring at the gold liquid in front of her. "And I'm so going to blame you."

"To us! The best team the FBI had ever had!" Booth ignored what she said and raised his glass.

"To us." She echoed and drank.

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It wasn't difficult to keep drinking after the first one. They were already on their sixth shot when the lights turned off and a voice announced that Eric Dalton would be on stage in ten minutes.

"I hate you." Brennan said. "I'm going to be like _crap_ tomorrow morning."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who shoved all those drinks down your throat." Booth defended himself. "Though, I could start doing it, if you get all this cute every time you drink half a bottle of tequila. _My Bones_ saying 'crap'. This is _really_ cute."

He pinched her cheek teasingly and she slapped his hand out of her face playfully.

"I'm not yours." She quickly said, though, there wasn't anger on her voice this time. Actually, she was trying not to giggle. _Tequila. I _knew _it wasn't a clever choice_. "The high level of alcohol shortens my vocabulary."

"I like average-intelligence Bones." He said.

"I prefer my real self."

"I like that one a lot too." He leaned in to get closer to her and whispered. "I like _all _of you."

Was he _flirting_ with her? She wondered. No… he couldn't. He had a girlfriend now. He was just being Booth, teasing her in every opportunity he got.

The noisy of guitar strings and the illumination coming from the stage caught their attention.

"Look! Dalton is on stage! Let's go! Let's go!" Booth jumped out of his seat and took Brennan's hand, pulling her closer to the stage.

"This guy is really good." Booth commented after five songs.

"He is. He's extremely talented with that guitar." Brennan agreed and looked at her partner. It was so warm in the venue. Even there on the VIP area, everyone was sweating because all of the jumping and screaming. "It's really hot in here, Booth, and that tie really doesn't suit this environment."

She hated that tie. She hated what that tie represented. _His social contract with Catherine Bryar._ Why did she have to give him a tie? A_ tie_! Out of all the things she could give him, she chose a damn tie. Ties were _her_ thing with Booth. She was the one who made him start wearing amusing ties in the first place. And the marine biologist had also to give him a tie with little _dolphin_s on it. _Dolphins_! Everybody knew that Brennan loved dolphins; it was one thing she shared with her mother and that was very special for her.

"You're right." Booth agreed right away and started taking off the tie he'd been wearing so often in the last days.

Brennan couldn't hide her smile when she saw the tie out of his neck.

Booth held the tie and wrapped it around his head, like it was a sweat band.

"Do I fit the environment better now?" He asked her with a big smile on his face.

"Much better." She grinned.

Booth stopped when he heard the chords of the next song.

"Oh, look at that, Bones!" He opened his mouth amazed. "That's _our s_ong! Let's go there and sing!"

Brennan opened her eyes widely when she saw Booth running closer to where the singer was and starting to take impulse to jump on the stage.

"Booth! What are you doing? _Get down_!" Brennan yelled. Alcohol really didn't make people smarter. She knew that and she kept burning her neurons with that. Why? She had no idea. That was a very stupid idea for a person who liked to refer to herself as a genius.

"Come here, Bones! Let's _SING_!" He yelled back.

Eric Dalton noticed the man getting in his stage and laughed.

"Seems like we have a guest to sing this song with us!" He said on the microphone.

"This is our song." Booth told the singer and pointed to his partner. "You don't mind if we sing this one, do you?" He asked him.

"Be my guest." Eric smiled. He was enjoying all that craziness.

"Come here, Bones, show those people the beautiful voice you have!"

If Brennan was sober, she would wish a hole had been made under her feet so she could disappear from there. But she wasn't. She was just as drunk as her partner and she felt butterflies in her stomach thinking about singing to all those people. Who cares if it was stupid and crazy? It would be fun! And she would be singing… with Booth… _their _song.

A second later, she was up on the stage, a microphone being put on her hand. Booth was holding a guitar.

"_Do you know how to play a guitar_?" Brennan murmured, seconds before the singing part started.

"_I'm a man of many talents, Bones._" He winked.

"_Well, I'm hot blooded, check it and see, I got a fever of a hundred and three. Come on baby, do you do more than dance? I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded_!" They started singing together.

Booth and Brennan smiled at each other. It was awesome. People were jumping in front of them and singing along.

In the middle of the song, Brennan took the guitar from Booth and made an incredible sole, almost making his eyes pop out of his face

She smirked when she saw how surprised he was, as saying "_I'm a woman of many talents, too_." and kept singing.

It was _really_ awesome. It was better than when they had to go undercover to the circus. Yeah, there were also people cheering them during their presentation as Boris and Natasha, but this here… it was like the adrenaline was in the air. _She was happy_. She couldn't stop smiling.

"_Hot blooded, every night. Hot blooded, you're looking so tight. Hot blooded, now you're driving me wild. Hot blooded, I'm so hot for you, child."_ They were now sharing one microphone. Booth looked into her eyes after saying the last line. She could see the desire in his eyes and returned the look. From that moment on, all the rest of the crowd disappeared. It was just them, lost in each other's eyes, singing their song_. "Hot blooded, I'm a little bit high. Hot blooded, you're a little bit shy. Hot blooded, you're making me sing. Hot blooded, for your sweet sweet thing."_

The instrumental part of the music kept playing on the background, but for them it was like time had stopped. Without thinking twice, Booth grabbed her by the waist and kissed her passionately on the lips. Brennan didn't stop him this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. This kiss wasn't emotional like their last one. It was passionate, hot, desperate and it tasted like tequila. It reminded him of their first kiss. He could feel her heart beating against his chest. He wished that moment could last forever.

They didn't know how long they stayed there, sharing saliva and making tongue contact, but they were brought back to reality with all the cheers and screams coming from the crowd.

Then it hit them _where _they were. Brennan blushed from head to toe.

"Thank you so much, everyone!" Booth said and helped Brennan to get out of the stage.

It was when they went back to the crowd that she realized what had just happened. They kissed. _Kissed_. And Booth had a girlfriend. One who made a social contract with him by giving him that infamous tie. She had rejected him just a couple of months ago, he was moving on, he was _happy_. She shouldn't keep giving him hopes when she knew she wasn't ready to start a relationship yet. It was mean. It was evil. She had to let him move on. She had to stop being selfish.

Brennan started walking to the exit.

"Bones!" She heard Booth's voice. "_Bones_! Where are you going?"

"I- I have to go, Booth." She said confused.

"But you came with me."

"I'm taking a cab." She told him. "And you are going to take one too. It's very irresponsible, not to tell dangerous, if you drive in your current state. We both have alcohol coming out of our pores."

"Ok, then. I'll take the cab with you."

"No." She shook her head. "Your house is in the other side of the city. It's completely unnecessary and a waste of time and money to take the same cab."

"But, Bo-"

She started walking away again.

"_I told you tequila was a bad idea." _She hissed.

"Bones, _wait_" He grabbed her shoulder and made her look at him. "_What's wrong_?"

"You have a girlfriend, Booth."

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	7. Open Up

**First of all, I'm so, so, SO sorry for not updating this story for over a month. I've been very busy with college and when I had time I ended up updating my other one. This story was supposed to be way longer, but I was trying to keep it going while the episodes were airing, and since now the season is already over, I think the best idea is to end it. I hate leaving things unfinished. It wasn't how I firstly intended to end it, but I liked how it turned out…**

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Brennan was staring at the blank page opened on her computer. She'd been in the same position for over one hour already. She opened it with the excuse to write a new chapter of her book, but she knew that she wouldn't write anything. Her mind was far away from Kathy and Andy.

She had left the bar the day before without even saying goodbye to Booth. She was scared. She was confused. She was drunk. A part of her went to bed wishing she would wake up and realize the last night was just a crazy dream and it didn't happen, but the headache she had the morning after was enough proof that things _did_ happen. Tequila never failed in remembering her about what she's done.

_So what if they kissed? It's not like they've never did that before…_ she tried to convince herself it was nothing. But it was obviously something. She could still remember the good feeling that filled her body while their lips were together. She had kissed a lot of men in the journey of her life, but she never experienced something like that before. It already had surprised her when they kissed for the first time, under the same influence of tequila. That was mainly the reason why they didn't end up in bed that night. The reactions he made to her body scared her. She knew that sexual attraction was something that happened due to a chemistry reaction inside the human body, but what he made her feel was something she couldn't explain rationally, so, she just decided it was the best to stay away from him. Spending the night with him would probably be a mistake.

But now, six years later, seemed that things got even worse. Brennan wasn't sure if she liked what she was feeling. She was worried about him all the time. She wanted to be with him all the time. She wanted to see him happy. She got to the point where her happiness depended on _his _happiness. When did she allow herself to lose in someone like that? She couldn't stand the idea of him being happy with another woman. She supposed that was what people felt when they said they were jealous, if jealous meant you feel your heart being crushed every time you saw them together and you want to take off the smile of the damn marine biologist hitting her face with your right fist.

Thinking about all that things together, she came to the conclusion she loved him. But that was wrong. It couldn't be right. They were so different. Booth was a hopeless romantic, he believe in fairytales and everlasting love, but life showed her that all love relationships were doomed to end in a bad way.

Could she survive without him?

They had an amazing relationship as friends, she didn't want to jeopardize that taking it to the next level, but she knew things would never be the same between them anymore. A lot had been said, a lot had been done.

So… should she take the risk? Would _he_ want to take the risk? Maybe it was too late. Maybe he had already moved on. Maybe he would be happier with Catherine. Maybe she should just leave his life…

A knock on the door startled her. She looked at the clock on the edge of her monitor. There was only one person that would go to her house at midnight without calling her before to ask if it was okay.

Brennan felt a knot on her stomach. She took longer than necessary to reach the door.

"Hi." Booth opened a weak smile. He hadn't seen her that day, nor did he call her.

"Hi." She greeted him back.

They were both uncomfortable and both hated it. Brennan took a step back to open the door so he could step in.

"You didn't call me today." Brennan finally said. She missed talking to him.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk to me." He admitted. "But then I was at home and I couldn't sleep. I realized I couldn't end the day without talking to you."

Brennan looked down at the floor.

"About last night…" He started.

"We can pretend it never happened…" She cut him off. They could do that, they did it after the first time they kissed. They didn't talk about it again till Sweets made them.

She wanted so desperately to not lose him.

"No, we can't." Booth raised his face to look at her. "I don't want to."

"But… Catherine…"

"We only went out a couple of times, Bones." He sighed.

"She gave you that tie… you made a social contract…"

He smiled and looked at her tenderly.

"I realized I've already made a lot of social contracts with another someone… someone who means a lot more for me. A whole lot more." He took a step closer to her. "I remembered a little pig named Jasper. And a Brainy Smurf. A certain cocky belt buckle…"

Booth brushed her face with his fingers.

"Also, I remembered the many times she saved my life. And the many times I saved hers. I got to the conclusion that those actions are contracts much more important than a stupid tie."

"That tie was really stupid." Brennan agreed.

Booth laughed.

"Catherine is beautiful, she's very smart and she's funny." Brennan frowned hearing those words and looked down again. Booth lifted her chin with his thumb. "But she doesn't annoy me. We don't bicker. She doesn't drive me crazy. She doesn't mock my religion." Brennan bit her lower lip. "She doesn't mess up popular sayings. She doesn't squint when she's thinking about something she doesn't comprehend yet. She doesn't ask me to give her a gun or let her drive every single opportunity she gets. She doesn't work nonstop till she finds out the truth and brings justice for the world. She doesn't kick someone's ass when she thinks they deserve it. She can't sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" better than Cyndi Lauper. She can't play the guitar. She can't fix my back when it hurts. She doesn't make my heart warm with every smile she gives me. She doesn't keep me awake at night wondering if she's okay and if she's getting enough sleep. I don't want her to be the mother of my children. I don't want to spend the next 30, 40, 50 years with her. I can't see heaven every time I look at her eyes. I-"

He was unable to continue when Brennan captured his lips with hers. It was just as passionate as their first kiss, but at the same time, as emotional as their kiss after they left Sweet's office. They didn't care about the stupid invisible line they drew years ago. They didn't try to find a reason to not be together. They just tried to express with their lips what they were feeling.

They didn't know how long they stood there, just losing themselves in each other's arms and enjoying that moment that took so long to arrive.

"What was that for?" Booth smirked when they finally stopped the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers.

"Well… today I had time to think, evaluate and analyze all the things I've been feeling lately and I came to the conclusion…" She looked up and locked her eyes with his. "That I'm in love with you."

Booth opened his mouth to talk, but once again she silenced him.

"I know I didn't believe in love and I thought I would never be able to open my heart. But you did it, Booth. You've been opening it since we first met. Slowly and patiently, you've been entering it. And I didn't realize it until it was impossible to take you out of it. I don't want you take you out of it. I don't want you to move on. Only the thought of you out of my life scares me." She took a deep breath. "I love you. There it is." She opened a smile. "It isn't that hard to say, is it? I love you."

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear those words from you." He wiped the tears from her eyes. "And the waiting was worth every second." He kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you, Bones. I love you so much."

They kissed again, desperately and tenderly, trying to make up for all those years they lost running away from their feelings.

"Are you still anxious to try page 187?" He smirked at her after a long make out session.

Brennan mirrowed his smile and whispered on his ear. "_Very much_."

THE END

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**So… what did you think?**

**Sorry if you were expecting smut, but I don't write smut. I like it better when things are left implied. At least for me, it makes things sweeter. And also… what goes on between them… it should just be theirs. ;)**

**Thank you so much for reading this! I had a lot of fun writing and I hope you also had at least a little bit reading it. :)**


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